Plug type gage for honing machines



April 1957 M. J. GROSS 2,787,866

PLUG TYPE GAGE FOR HONING MACHINES Filed Dec. 18, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 as Cg; l 20 as April 9, 1957 M. J. GROSS PLUG TYPE GAGE FOR HONING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 18. 1952 maven-row YL -uvtce' 6. G -I A, M fwiw y CATTORNBY/ r i 2,787,866 Ice 7 Patented Ap 9, 1957 PLUG TYPE GAGE non HONING MACHINES Maurice 1. Gross, Rockford, IlL, assignor to Barnes Drill (30., Rockford, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 18, 1952, Serial No. 326,626

Claims. (Cl. 51-34) This invention relates generally to a plug type gage usable in honing machines and movable into feeling engagement with one end of the work bore during each reciprocation of a honing tool and adapted to enter further into the here when the latter has been enlarged to a desired size. in certain of its aspects, the invention has more particular reference to honing machine gages of the type in which the feeling element is tubular and surrounds the rotary honing spindle.

One object is to provide in a honing machine a gaging feeler of the above character having a gaging surface of novel shape and mounted for entry of the work in different angular and also transaxial positions of the feeler.

A more detailed object is to employ a generally spherical feeling surface mounted for universal swiveling about a center axially spaced from the surface along a line of approach of the latter to the work.

Another object is to construct the mating surfaces of the swivel joint in a novel manner and to maintain the same under SllfilClCIll friction to hold the position of the feeler after retraction of the latter out of engagement with the work.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a fragmentary vertical central sectional view of part of a honing machine equipped with a size detecting mechanism embodying the novel features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar section taken in the plane of the spindle axis and showing the parts in feeling position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the feeler in its fully entered and signalling position.

Fig. 4 is afragmentary front elevational view of a honing machine equipped with the improved gage.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the action of the feeler.

.Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified mounting of the feeler. v

The invention is applicable to all types of honing machines, but is shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration incorporated in so-called vertical machine in which a workpiece 16 is suitably clamped on a horizontal support it to locate its bore 12 in position to be honed in a succession of vertical reciprocations of a honing tool 13. Thelatter is carried on the lower end of a tubular spindle 14 projecting downwardly from and iournaled on a rigid head 15 accurately guided along laterally spaced rods 16 mounted in the usual way ona column 17 upstanding from the machine base.

in such machines suitable power actuators and controls well known in the art are provided for reciprocating the head and expanding and collapsing the bone in acycle comprising entry of the collapsed hone intothe work bore, expansion of the stones under pressure against the bore wall, reciprocation of the hone within the bore 2 until the latter is enlarged to a predetermined size, collapse of the hone, and withdrawal of the same out of the finished bore. Expansion and collapse of the honing stones 18 is usually efiected by cams within the hone body 19 actuated by a rod 20 extending up through the hollow spindle to a power actuator 21.

In accordance with the present invention, a plug type feeler 22 encircling the hone axis is mounted in a novel manner for transaxial floating and is advanced into yielding feeling engagement with one end of the bore wall 12 near the end of one stroke of the hone and in each reciprocation of the latter and is adapted to seat itself automatically in a centered position in spite of small variations in the alinement of the feeler and the bore. The

feeler is held effectually in its centered position in sub-- sequent retractions away from the work so as to be: adapted for proper entry into the bore as soon as the lat contact with the spindle at all times in spite of some pos-' sible run out of the latter and the shifting of the ring incident to seating itself in different work bores. The

external surface 25' of the ring is finished accurately and constitutes part of a sphere of a precise diameter such that the ring will, irrespective of its angular position, enter the end of the bore 12 under spring loading when the bore has been enlarged to the desired size.

To provide for transaxial floating of the ring in adapting itself to the bore end, the ring is formed, integral in the present instance, with the end of a sleeve 26 loosely encircling the spindle and supported at its other end for universal swiveling about a center substantially coincident with the spindle axis. The intermediate portion of the sleeve is cylindrical and somewhat smaller than the spherical surface 25 and the swivel joint is formed in part by an enlargement 27 at the upper end of the sleeve. This enlargement or ball is formed with a spherical external surface 28 which seats or fits closely in a mating surface 29 formed on a flange 3i) through which the sleeve projects to expose the feeler for contact with the work. The flange 30 is on the end of a tube 31 some-- what larger than the sleeve and having at its other end an external flange 32 secured as by screws 33 to a bracket 34. The latter is slidable along stationary guides 35 paralleling the head guides 16 and is connected as by bolts 36 to the head 15 for movement with the latter to carry the feeler into and out of. engagement with hte work. This may be a direct connection as shown, or, if desired, some lost motion between the head and bracket may be provided.

Cooperating with the surface 29 to complete thebail joint is a second internal surface 37 disposed above the ball 27 and, in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4, formed on the end of a sleeve 38 whose lower flanged end is guided in the cylindrical internal surface 39 of the tube 31. To urge the sleeve 38 endwise toward the ball 27,-? a spring 40 coiled around the sleeve acts in compression; between a flange 41 and an opposed internal abutment 43-.

on the tube 31 near the upper end thereof. When'the feeler is out of contact with the work, the surface 37- is urged and held against the ball 27 and the latter is urged into its seat 2%, the spring force being of sufiicient magnitude to create enough friction to maintain the switch 48'. The contacts 49 of the latter are in a casing 50. stationarily mounted. on a part 51 of the. work fixture. or machine frame and so positioned that the button 47 is engaged and depressed upon entry of the feeler 22 into the bore after the latter has been enlarged to the desired size.

In operation of the sizing device as described above, the feeler 22 and its sleeve 26 are positioned as shown in- Fig. 4 when the honing head is retracted, both spherical surfaces 29 and 37 engaging the ball 27 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The parts remain in this relation as the feeler moves downwardly with the head to insert the hone into the bore 12 to be finished and moved on through the bore. Near the end of the down stroke as shown in Fig. l, the spherical surface 25 partially enters the bore and comes against the end of the wall 12 thereof. The feeler is blocked against further movement so that in the continued short movement of the head 15 to complete the down stroke, the lower surface 29 of the ball joint moves away from the ball 27 as shown in Fig. 2. If the Work bore is out of alinement either laterally or angularly with the feeler 22 and its supporting sleeve, the initial contact with the wall 12 of the bore may be at only one side of the latter. Owing however to the downward convergence or bevel of the outer end portion of the feeler, the latter under the force of the spring shifts laterally until the surface 25 comes into full contact with the wall around the entire periphery of the latter. Such lateral shifting or tilting of the ring 23 is permitted by swinging of the sleeve about the center of the ball 27 which, during such swiveling, remains in full contact with the upper spherical surface 37. As a result of such tilting of the sleeve, the feeler ring becomes centered accurately in the bore in a position to enter the latter immediately as soon as the bore has been enlarged to the proper size.

This centered position of the ball shaped feeler is accurately retained even though the surface 25 is retracted out of engagement with the work shortly after the start of the reverse stroke of the head 15; As the head is retracted, the lower spherical surface 29 moves with the head and, after a short movement of the latter, comes against the ball surface 28 thereby picking up the feeler then being held by the friction at the surface 37 ina position which insures full engagement of the surfaces 28 and 29 when the latter come together. Thus, even though the feeler passes out of engagement with and positive control by the Work, its position of last engagement with the work will be retained accurately so that the surface will, on the next and each succeeding down stroke of the head 15 come into engagement with the bore wall around the entire periphery of the latter. This condition of full engagement between the spherical surfaces 28, 29, and 37 obtains irrespective of the angular position, illustrated on an exaggerated scale in Fig. 5, to which the feeler ring is'shifted in order to initially seat itself in the bore. As a result, the feeler is always positioned precisely for proper entry into the bore when the latter reaches the desired size, and this, without separating the centering of the feeler during each down stroke of the honing head. It has been found that such holding of the feeler position is conducive to entry of the feeler into the bore as soon as the latter has attained the, precise diameter desired thus making it possible to hone. successive bores to precisely the same diameter.

As the diameter of the core is enlarged in the successive reciprocations of the hone, the feeler surface 25 does enter progressively increasing distances as illustrated in Fig. 2. In each of these strokes, the feeler is stopped short of the position at which the arm 45 engages the switch pin 47. But when the bore reaches the full diameter of the sphere 25', the lattermoves further into. the

here under the action of the spring 40 as illustrated in, Fig. 3 and in, phantom in Fig. 5, and before the, end, of

the down stroke. of the. honing head, engagesv the. switch pin 47 as shown in Fig. 3. The resulting closure of the switch 48 constitutes a signal that the bore hasattained the desired size. This signal or switch closure may be utilized in a manner well understood in the art to cause collapse of the hone followed by full withdrawal of the hone from the bore during its next upstroke.

The same feeling and sizing action takes place with the modified construction shown in Fig. 6 in which the two internal. surfaces 29 and 37 of the ball joint are mounted on a common support and remain in full contact with the ball 27 at all times. For this purpose, the surfaces are formed on rings 53 and 54 which fit closely within the sleeve 38 above described, the upper ring abutting against a shoulder 55. A plug 55 screwed into the lower threaded end of the sleeve presses the ring 54 against the ball 27 under the pressure required for producing the desired amount of friction in the ball joint. The carefully adjusted position of the plug is retained by a lock out 57. As before, the spring acts against the flange 41 on the sleeve 33 but outward movement of the latter when the feeler is out of engagement with the work is limited by a shoulder 58 on the tube 31.

With this arrangement, both rings 53 and 54 remain in frictional engagement with the ball which together with the feeler carried thereby are urged outwardly to the limit position shown in Pig. 6. After the feeler encounters and is blocked by the work near the end of the down stroke of the honing head, the tube 31 and the shoulder 58 thereon continue on with the head and move away from the flange 41, the spring 40 being further compressed thereby holding the feeler seat in the bore. As before, the feeler, after becoming seated and centered by its initial contact with the bore wall, remains in this position when out of contact with the work, this being due to the friction under which the ball joint assembly is maintained by the spring.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a honing machine, the combination of, a support for a workpiece having a bore to be honed, a reciprocable head, a rotary spindle projecting from said head and carrying a hone for operating in said work bore, and a plug type gage for detecting enlargement of said bore to a predetermined diameter comprising a tubular sleeve loosely encircling and extending along said spindle, a feeler on the end of said sleeve adjacent the hone having an external spherical surface corresponding to said predetermined diameter, means including a ball joint mounted on said reciprocable head and yieldably supporting said sleeve from its other end for axial movement and also for universal swiveling about a center coincident with the axis of said spindle, the internal diameter of said sleeve and feeler being larger than the exterior of said spindle whereby to permit bodily shifting of the feeler transaxially of said spindle by swiveling of' the feeler about said center, and means urging the mating surfaces of said ball joint together whereby to produce a friction force resisting swiveling of said sleeve when said feeler is out of engagement. with the wall of. said bore.

2. In a honing machine, the combination of, a support' for a workpiece having a here to be honed, a reciprocable head, a rotary spindle projecting from said head and carrying a hone for operating in said work bore, and. a plug type gage for detecting enlargement of said bore to a predetermined diameter comprising a tubular sleeve loosely encircling and extending along said spindle, a feeler on the end of said sleeve adjacent the hone having an external spherical surface corresponding to said predetermined. diameter, and means including a ball joint mounted on said reciprocable head and yieldably supportingsaid sleeve from its other end for axial movement and. also for universal swiveling about a center adi cent the axis. ofi said spindle whereby to permit bodily. shifting of the feeler transaxially of said spindle.

3, In. a machinefot: honing a workpiece having a bore.

the combination of, a reciprocable head having a rotary spindle projecting therefrom and carrying a hone, a support for holding a workpiece in position to receive said hone, a ring loosely surrounding said spindle between said head and hone and shiftable transaxially, said ring having a spherical external surface adapted to enter said work bore of predetermined size, a sleeve encircling said spindle and supporting said ring, and means on said head axially spaced from said ring, supporting the sleeve for universal swiveling about a center disposed adjacent said spindle.

4. In a honing machine, the combination of, a support for mounting a workpiece with a bore therein to be honed disposed in a predetermined position, an elongated feeler having on one end a spherical surface corresponding in diameter to a desired size of said work bore, a tool support opposite said work support, one of said supports being mounted for reciprocation toward and away from the other along the axis of said bore, and means mounting said feeler on said tool support for entry of said spherical end into said work bore when the axis of the feeler is out of alinement with said bore axis, said last mentioned means comprising a spherical surface formed on the other end of said feeler, two axially spaced rings having a complementary internal spherical surfaces engaging opposite end portions of said second surface, means on said tool support supporting said rings for relative axial movement, and means urging said rings toward each other to grip said second surface with sufiicient friction to maintain each transaxial position of said first surface.

5. In a honing machine, the combination of, a support for mounting a workpiece with a bore therein to be honed disposed in a predetermined position, an elongated feeler having on one end a spherical surface corresponding in diameter to a desired size of said work bore, a tool support opposite said work support, said supports being mounted for relative reciprocation toward and away from each other along the axis of said bore, and means mounting said feeler on said tool support for entry of said spherical end into said work bore when the axis of the feeler is out of alinement with said bore axis, said last mentioned means comprising a spherical surface formed on the other end of said feeler, two axially spaced rings having complementary internal spherical surfaces engaging opposite end portions of said second surface, means on said tool support supporting said rings for relative axial movement, and spring means urging said rings toward each other under sufficient pressure to maintain the prevailing angular position of the feeler each time that said spherical surface is withdrawn from said bore.

6. In a honing machine, the combination of, a support for holding a workpiece with a bore therein in honing position, a second support providing a cylinder having an mturned flange at the end adjacent said support, a tube slidable in said cylinder, a sleeve extending axially through said flange, a ball-shaped head on the inner end of said sleeve Within said cylinder, spherically shaped surfaces on said flange and tube mating with and engaging opposite end portions of said head to provide a ball and socket joint for universal swiveling of said sleeve about a center coincident with the axis of said cylinder, said spherical surfaces being axially separable, means yieldably urging said surfaces together to seat the same against said head, and a spherical surface on the outer end of said sleeve adapted to enter said work bore when the latter is of a predetermined diameter and while said sleeve is in any one of a plurality of different angular positions relative to said cylinder axis.

7. In a honing machine for enlarging a bore in a workpiece to a predetermined diameter by reciprocation of a honing tool back and forth through the bore in a honing cycle, the combination of, a support for holding said workpiece with the axis of said bore in a fixed honing position, a feeler supporting member movable along said axis toward and away from a workpiece on said support during at least a part of said cycle, an elongated feeler surrounding and extending along said axis and projecting toward said work support, means on said member yieldably supporting said feeler from one end for movement along said axis to carry the other end of said feeler into and out of abutment with one end of said bore, said supporting means also mounting the feeler for universal swiveling about a center coincident with the axis, and means on said other feeler end providing a partial spherical surface of said predetermined diameter adapted to engage the end of said bore at a plurality of angularly spaced points and, by said swiveling, center itself relative thereto when the bore is undersize and to enter the bore when the latter has been enlarged to said predetermined diameter with said feeler inclined at different angles relative to said axis.

8. In a honing machine for enlarging a bore in a workpiece to a predetermined diameter by reciprocation of a honing tool back and forth through the bore in a honing cycle, the combination of, a support for holding said workpiece with the axis of said bore in a fixed honing position, a support member reciprocable through a predetermined range along said axis toward and away from a workpiece on said support, an elongated feeler surrounding and extending along said axis with one end projecting toward said work support, means on said member at a point spaced from said feeler end and yieldably supporting the feeler for universal swiveling about a center coincident with the axis and for bodily movement to carry said feeler end into and out of abutment with the end of said bore at a point intermediate the ends of said reciprocation range, the mounting of the feeler yielding to permit continuance of the stroke of said member after such abutment, and means on said other feeler end providing a partial spherical surface of said predetermined diameter adapted to engage said bore end at a plurality of angularly spaced points and, by said swiveling of the feeler, center the feeler end in the bore when the latter is undersize and to enter the bore when the same has been enlarged to said predetermined diameter with said feeler inclined at difierent angles relative to said axis.

9. A honing machine as defined in claim 7 in which said feeler supporting means is a ball joint whose socket is composed of parts separable from each other after abutment of said spherical surface with the end of an undersize bore.

10. A honing machine as defined in claim 8 in which said honing tool is carried on the end of a rotary spindle and said feeler comprises a sleeve loosely surrounding said spindle with sufiicient clearance to permit of uni versal swiveling of said spherical surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 746,360 McAdams Dec. 8, 1903 1,553,814 Hansen Sept. 15, 1925 1,827,432 Hundemer Oct. 13, 1931 1,849,427 Hook Mar. 15, 1932 2,101,712 Iohansen -2 Dec. 7, 1937 2,295,907 Lewis Sept. 15, 1942 2,305,824 Zwick Dec. 22, 1942 2,631,414 Muehling Mar. 17, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 124,109 Sweden Feb. 22, 1949 560,523 Great Britain Apr. 6, 1944 967,131 France Mar. 22, 1950 

